Michael Sam, who is a Defensive Lineman from Missouri and considered by some to be a top 20 pick in this years draft, announced Sunday that he is a gay man. This could be a huge step for the NFL and for gay professional athletes.

The problem is his announcement could mean that his draft stock is going to slip. A lot. Nobody knows how teams are going to react to this news just yet and it could become an issue if say a bunch of teams pass on him because of this.

Jason Collins came out last year and has yet to play for an NBA team since then. Given he is at the end of his career, but somebody would have probably signed him had he not come out.

It will be interesting to see what happens come draft day. Does everyone pass on him or does somebody make the next step in putting this whole “Gay athlete” thing to rest. An athlete is an athlete no matter the color of their skin or their sexual orientation.